Hey all. Chris here in TN. I'm a semi beginner and want to really get into snowboarding as much as possible. I'm 26 and I tried snowboarding 4 years ago when I was 22.

I randomly went to Oregon for a couple days to hang out with this chick I was talking to back then and on the way back home I just decided to chill a night at a hotel outside of Portland. Well, somehow I ended up using their computer.. and found out about Mt. Hood (government camp) and drove up there and ended up staying for 3 months working at Timberline. I saved up enough and bought a sick looking Burton Twin from the local Exit Realworld. Then bought some Burton bindings and boots online.

However, I was only out there 3 months and I was working and saving up for a set up most of the time. So, I didn't get much practice. The only thing I could really do well was get on and off the lifts. I never took proper lessons or anything either.. that's why I consider myself a ''semi beginner''

Now I'm back in TN, 26, and with all the new technology I work from home but I'm bored out of my mind as everyone my age is all married with kids and boring (no offense).

So, I figured I might like to try to get back into snowboarding and do it the right way as I didn't really know what I was doing when getting my first set up. Which brings me here to this sick forum to get a little guidance.

Questions:

What the heck is a 360 degree edge? I heard that I need a board with that.

Some boards are called ''twin'' in design. What or why is that good/bad?

"Flex" Is that more for park/freestyle riding? That's how well the board bends/flexes, right?

I'm 6ft and weigh 180 so what would be a good size for me? How do you determine?

They don't really have any board shops here in TN as we don't get much snow in my area. So asking someone at Zoomies here probably wouldn't get me much good info.

Also, my very first set up like I said was a Burton Twin and I think I had some bindings/boots that were suited for the park. But I hear I need more of an ''all mountain'' type of board so I guess that's what I'm looking for. But I want something that will also help me get started in the park with rails/jumps after I get the basics and carving down pretty good.

You don't gotta do the research for me just point me in the right direction on what I need to look for and answer some questions I had. If you want to recommend boards/setups that'd be great too! Would prefer last years models or a year or 2 before that as they are a bit cheaper and I don't want to overload my wallet until I get the hang of it. But I don't mind $200-$300 for a good board.

Thanks in advance. And if you might wanna help me 1 on 1 hit me up in PM, I've got Skype and all that if it'd be easier.

I live in Maryville and there are three shops in the Knoxville area alone with very, very, knowledgeable workers. Alpine Ski Center is located in a shopping center next to West Town Mall (take Kingston Pike towards UT, find Chili's just past the Mall and go in that shopping center). Pluto Sports is located in the shopping center next to Home Depot on Kingston Pike, and The Boardroom is located next to the Calhoun's on Kingston Pike near Cedar Bluff.

The guys at Alpine and The Boardroom are awesome, and would be more than happy to answer any questions. Before you go crazy on research go talk to them.

I ride mainly at Ober, but since it usually opens later in the year I go over to Cataloochee. It's not going to be anywhere near as good as the snow in Oregon that you're probably accustomed to, but it's better than nothing. You can pick up a season pass at Ober through 11/15 for a discount ($250).

As far as your questions about boards, here's a great link to get you started:

I would recommend somewhere around a 155 for you. You could look at something like a Neversummer SL or a Proto to give you a good, rounded, board that can dabble in the park and still ride comfortably on the mountain.

I live in Maryville and there are three shops in the Knoxville area alone with very, very, knowledgeable workers. Alpine Ski Center is located in a shopping center next to West Town Mall (take Kingston Pike towards UT, find Chili's just past the Mall and go in that shopping center). Pluto Sports is located in the shopping center next to Home Depot on Kingston Pike, and The Boardroom is located next to the Calhoun's on Kingston Pike near Cedar Bluff.

The guys at Alpine and The Boardroom are awesome, and would be more than happy to answer any questions. Before you go crazy on research go talk to them.

I ride mainly at Ober, but since it usually opens later in the year I go over to Cataloochee. It's not going to be anywhere near as good as the snow in Oregon that you're probably accustomed to, but it's better than nothing. You can pick up a season pass at Ober through 11/15 for a discount ($250).

As far as your questions about boards, here's a great link to get you started:

I would recommend somewhere around a 155 for you. You could look at something like a Neversummer SL or a Proto to give you a good, rounded, board that can dabble in the park and still ride comfortably on the mountain.

Hope that helps a little...

Wow what a small world lol. For some reason I thought Alpine Ski Center closed and didn't know about the board room so thanks for that! Both are close by as I'm in the West Knox area.

Advice...
get the fuck out of Tennessee Jed
work from home...work from the hill
best thing you can do is get on a real hill...you know what that is
it don't matter what you ride...just ride
after you get your legs then get a new board

there's probably nothing wrong with the bindings and board you already have (assuming you still have them and they're within your size range). I'm skeptical about the boots, because you really want those to be fitted in a shop.

I'm your exact same size and my board is a 155 cm twin (twins are just symetrical boards; front and back are exactly the same dimensions and there's no set-back in the binding inserts). 360 edges means the metal edges wraps entirely around the board (pretty sure only lib tech and gnu skimp on the edge material) and is considered better for the protection of the nose and tail.

I agree that, after experiencing oregon, you may be sorely disappointed in the amount of snow and terrain at your local mtn (ober). It'll might be o.k. for learning the basics and maybe some tricks.

there's probably nothing wrong with the bindings and board you already have (assuming you still have them and they're within your size range). I'm skeptical about the boots, because you really want those to be fitted in a shop.

I'm your exact same size and my board is a 155 cm twin (twins are just symetrical boards; front and back are exactly the same dimensions and there's no set-back in the binding inserts). 360 edges means the metal edges wraps entirely around the board (pretty sure only lib tech and gnu skimp on the edge material) and is considered better for the protection of the nose and tail.

I agree that, after experiencing oregon, you may be sorely disappointed in the amount of snow and terrain at your local mtn (ober). It'll might be o.k. for learning the basics and maybe some tricks.

Unfortunately, I sold the board/bindings a year or 2 ago for $200. And I did have boots but got rid of them too. Will just start fresh. Wasn't expecting to get back into it anytime soon but what the heck.

And yea I'm guessing the snow out east sucks lol but I don't mind learning the basics out here b4 I go roadtrip'n it again